[smddoc]

I'm building my dedicated theater room with two rows of seating. My question is should I put one rear speaker on the side of each seating row for both left and right surround channels ? Just to clarify, this would be two speakers for the left channel, and two for the right. Or should I just stick with one speaker per surround channel. BTW my amp puts out 100 watts per channel. and I'll probably use polk rt55's to match my mains.

 

[Rachael Bellomy]

You'll,get other opinions on this (like anything else),Doc,but my answer

is yes.Yes,for sure if you're using

direct radiating speakers.I don't

think I'd be inclined to use four

dipoles.I've been using four surround

speakers for several years. I bought

the original Atlantic Technology 250

series,except the sub (yuk),which

came with less-than-full range dipoles.Shortly there after I got

Dolby Digital and needed full range

surrounds.Not wanting to replace the

lot,but wanting matched sound,I bought

two more of the front LR speakers for

surrounds.I put the dipoles on the

back wall for an extra set.I usually

run all four speakers,occasionally I

turn off the dipoles.I'm soon to

experiment with the dipoles as the

rear EX surround channel.Maybe you

need six speakers for the rear,two

more for EX,ha...! Denon reccomends

dipoles on the side and full-range

(for music) in the back,surrounds.

My room is less-than-optimum with

an alcove on one side,so dipoles on

the side are out of the question any

way.The oposite has worked for me.

I like the way the full-range side

speakers give me a directional cue when an effect flys.The dipoles in the

rear sort of fill in the soundfield

with that cloudy kind of sound they

make.If my experiment goes well,my

dipoles may become EX permanently.

Well that's my three cents worth......


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Ms. Bitchlist

 

[Dennis Erskine]

I'd imagine one rather obvious missing fact here is "how far apart are these two rows?" If these are not 10' (or better) apart, you don't want two "rear" speakers astride each row ... whether direct radiating or dipole. You'll end up with a confusing and fatiquing listening environment.


If you're really hot on the trail of 4 sets of "surrounds", you can have a pair on the sides and a pair on the rear walls IF your surround processor supports this environment. By "support" I mean the signal to the sides and rears is different and, at a minimum, you have the ability to set the delay and reference SPL of *each* speaker independantly (which disqualified the Denon day one).


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D. Erskine

DEsign Cinema Privee
www.DEsignCinema.com

Imagine what you could do, if you could do all you imagine.

 

[Rachael Bellomy]

Dennis ,are you recommending the EX

setup? Or 4 speakers without? What

do you think about EX? I'm not so sure

I'd bother with it if I didn't have

the extra speakers,but you never know

I might like it! Getting the four

speakers now would leave an easy upgrade path wouldn't it,even if no

EX setup is used now? I rather like

my extra surrounds,especially on loud

action films.I like with and without.

And I have a set of Paradigm speakers

with dipoles which i like very much.

I can't even decide wheather I like

full-range surrounds or dipoles best.

Dennis what kind of back speaker do

yo like for EX,dipoles or monopoles?

I'm sure you proably like dipoles on

the side,right.....


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Ms. Bitchlist

 

[Dennis Erskine]

I wasn't thinking so much of EX as I was 7.1 systems such as those from Meridian, JBL, Lexicon, and Citation. (which are now all EX capable).


As to dipoles side and/or rear. I have a preference for dipoles. That being said, however, the real choice will be driven by the processor you purchase. For example, JBL Synthesis (using the Lex MC-1) must use dipoles because the steering logic used for their 5.1 and 7.1 modes relies upon the unique characteristics of dipoles. On the other hand, Meridian's processors have all been built (and code written) with the presumption the sides and rears will be direct radiating (monopole) designs.


------------------

D. Erskine

DEsign Cinema Privee
www.DEsignCinema.com

Imagine what you could do, if you could do all you imagine.

 

[Rachael Bellomy]

I read a review of the Circle Surround

unit that recommended monopoles in back....Have you set up many EX systems and with what configuration?

That would go with this thread.I'm

renting now,but when I'm not.....

It could be me building,will be.....


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Ms. Bitchlist

 

[Dennis Erskine]

I can't say that I've set up alot of EX systems. I can say that I've set up alot of 7.1 channel systems (some of which may have been upgraded to EX by now).


All the monopole side/rear systems have been exclusively Meridian and have used Meridian's DSP speakers. (I had such a system myself.) All the others have been dipole based.


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D. Erskine

DEsign Cinema Privee
www.DEsignCinema.com

Imagine what you could do, if you could do all you imagine.